Imagine your surfboard defining your place in society. In Ancient Hawaii, it did and in a way it still does. Most of time it is really dependent on the surf break that defines the hierarchy. At places Old Mans in San Clement the top dog is the longboarder, then shortboarder and finally bodyboarders. I'm pretty sure body surfers don't even exist there and all the SUP riders are all down the way at Dog Beach. At Haggs (Haggerty's) in Palos Verdes (south Los Angeles) the top dog is the shortboarder and that's pretty much it. SUPs, Longboarders, bodyboarders, body surfers and anyone else that wants to surf there will pretty much end up in a fight if they decided to paddle out into the line up when the local shortboard crowd is out. At EL Porto (Manhattan Beach) it's more about style and looking good on whatever board you are riding and there is a pretty good mix of all types of wave riders in the water like most of the SouthBay beaches.
So where do the Alaias wave riders fit into the hierarchy? Good question, I'll get back to you on that in a few more paragraphs. Better yet lets start with this: what is an Alaia?
www.surfscience.com defines the Alaia as follows:
Alaias are thin wooden finless boards whose history traces back to the people of Hawaii before the 20th century. The predominant material used currently is Polonia which is light, extremely strong, and will not delaminate or have problems from taking on water. Alaias will last a lifetime if treated well and bring the rider back to a simpler form of surfing waves.
Alaias will vary in size from five feet up to ten feet in length and from 15” to 19” in width. They are very thin boards, typically ranging in thickness from ½ inch to 2 inches. According to Tom Wegener’s web site, tomwegenersurfboards.com, the rail’s hard edges act as a long fin when it bites into the wave and “the gentle curves on the bottom hold the board into the face of the wave.” The board’s light weight allows it to accelerate quickly down the line and it is usually sealed with oil, making the Alaia very slick and fast in the water.
Surprisingly, flex plays a large role in an Alaia’s performance. The thin shape allows the rider to manipulate the board’s rocker on the wave to generate more speed or facilitate turning. On his website, Wegener explains that the nose of the Alaia can be pushed down when in trim or catching the wave. This reverse rocker makes the board faster. Conversely, the nose of the board will be pulled up when turning. This makes the board turn quicker and project out of the turn when it relaxes back to its original shape. The result is a very lively board that is best ridden with a controlled slide in the wave’s pocket.
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| Back to the basics of riding... Using what's available... |
I think this guyANTHONY RODIER summed up the Alaia surfing experience:
Alaia surfers represent an open minded approach to chasing moving water, experiencing the flow, the velvety feel and the utterly perfect trim lines of the ancient Alaia. Welcome and please enjoy as we try to communicate what it is about these boards that is so pure, addictive and so very exciting. We hope to provide information and dare to educate so hang on, in a low crouch stance. Mega shakas to Tom Wegener, who without his rediscovery of these boards and subsequent undying passion for them, we would still be thinking no fins, no fun.
The Ancient Hawaiians called them ALI’I
The ruling class had its own board made of its own wood, the olo. 14’ to 18’ in length, not only was the olo a bigger board, but it was constructed of the more buoyant wood of the wili wili tree and further defined the class separation of kapu.
The ali’i even has their own breaks, and under kapu, any attempt by a commoner to paddle out among the elite was punishable by, among other things, death (much like todays heavy localism at places like Lunada Bay where people outside of the local social class will be beat up but probably not killed).
Surfboards were sacred, their construction ritualistic. Kahuna would search for just the right tree, sacrifice fish as an offering to the gods and stand guard over the specimen overnight under prayer.
Only after successful completion of the ritual, could the tree be felled, and once it was cut down, more sacred behavior was practiced by the kahuna.
Finer shaping was done with blocks of coral and stone..
First the board was rough-shaped with an adz. Then, the wood was shaped and planed with blocks of coral or stone. Once shaped, it was applied with a finish, such as the root of the ti plant or the stain from banana buds. The board was then treated with kukui oil to give it a glossy finish.
When the surfboard had met the kahuna’s approval, it underwent a final ritual of dedication, and only then was it offered to the sea.
So back to that question from earlier... Where do the Alaias wave riders fit into the hierarchy? I think Alaias riders will be the first to bridge the gap between Longboards all the way to Bodyboarders. Alias wave riders will be the new classical progressive group to emerge and may end up defining a generation. First because they are not so easy to stand up on so not everyone will be gravitating towards these as much as they might to SUP (Stand Up Paddle) boards which are super easy (and no waves a required on a SUP).
Who knows maybe one day surfers will be able to to ride both a SUP and an Alaia... Like this guy:
Here's another perspective of this guy in action:
Alaias are finless kind of like a bodyboard and I think all those good bodyboarders that can do drop-knees and 360 spins while will have a huge advantage riding Alaias boards, much like a Jamaican bobsled team they could take the world by storm.
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| Drop Knee Bodyboarding |
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| Alaia cutback |
Longboarders will excel due to their knowledge of trim and smooth style.
Shortboarders will be able to pull insanely complicated combination maneuvers that will be difficult to judge against the normal shortboard standards in a contest. I'm really looking forward to seeing someone complete on an Alaias in a standard shortboard contest.
Here are a few examples of Alaias in action:
Alaia Building, Riding, Sliding
So try to make one... Here's how:
Respect Wood: Build an Alaia
Alaia shaping part 1
Next step Learn how to ride one... Here's how from Transworld Surf:
Finally the last thing to do is go out and have fun. Make the best of whatever your local surf break has to offer.
Prepare to turn heads as you become a pioneer of the classical progressive group that is emerging and may end up defining a generation or at least inspiring one to try a wider range of sliding toys.
Great pictures and video !
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